We waited a bit longer, but time was running out. The sun slowly faded away behind the moon, becoming smaller and smaller as totality approached. That meant we only had another hour or so before it was all over.
As we waited for other packs to arrive, I watched the other alphas and betas interact with each other, along with the other shifters they'd brought. This wasn’t the same joyful interactions that I’d seen at the Convergence, but it was good to see so many shifters in one place, getting along despite being from different packs.
After another fifteen minutes passed, and the sun was the smallest sliver of light, Kaden said, “No one else is coming. Totality is about to begin, and we need to get this meeting started too.”
I sighed but knew he was right. If the other packs weren't here already, they weren't coming. Besides, we knew the Aries, Taurus, and Scorpio packs were already allied with the Leos, so they hadn't been invited, and we'd just learned that the Aquarius pack had fallen to them too.
“Damn, I’d hoped that Virgo and Gemini would make it too,” Wesley said, and I heard the disappointment in his voice.
"Four of the packs are here," I said, trying to find the bright side. "That's a good start."
Wesley squared his shoulders and nodded. “You’re right. It’s more than we had before, and if they agree to ally with us, we stand a chance.”
"It'll be enough," Kaden said, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Let's get started."
Chapter Thirty
The totality began, leaving only a small corona of light above us, casting the area in murky darkness. We walked toward the area we'd set up earlier, a circle of picnic chairs where all the alphas and betas would be able to see and hear everything. Wesley invited everyone to join us, and anticipation raced through me as the shifters gathered around for the start of our own mini Convergence. The alphas and betas sat in the chairs, while their other pack members gathered behind them. I took my own seat in the Ophiuchus section, my stomach clenched tight with nervous energy.
“Thank you all for coming,” Kaden said, after calling for silence. “We've recently learned that the Leos are planning to take over all of the packs and make them submit to their rule, with the help of the Sun Witches. We're here to discuss how we can stop them."
A ripple of unease went through the gathered shifters. Wesley moved to stand beside Kaden, an obvious show of support. “You all saw what happened to the Cancer pack at the Convergence,” Wesley said. “The Sun Witches stood by and did nothing while my entire pack was slaughtered, including my parents. It was only by sheer luck that I survived to be able to make it back to my pack and take us into hiding.” He looked around the gathered shifters, pausing for a moment as a few of them whispered. “We recently got news that the Aquarius pack have bowed to the Leos' rule. The Aries, Taurus, and Scorpio packs are already lost, and we don’t know about the Gemini and Virgo packs. They might also be under the control of the Leos for all we know.”
“Of everyone here, who will be next?” Kaden asked as he looked in turn between all the various packs. “You’ve seen how the Leos operate. They want absolute subjugation, and I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to take that lying down. We have to stand up to the Leos and the Sun Witches if we want to retain our autonomy and freedom.”
"How do you know all this for sure?" asked the Libra alpha, who had called himself Ethan earlier.
"The Leos captured me, and their alpha told me his plans," I said, rising to my feet.
“Aren’t you Jordan’s mate?" the Capricorn beta, Pierce, sneered. "Oh, wait, no. He rejected you. What are you even doing here, half-breed?”
The word twisted something in my gut. It had been ages since I’d heard it, and I’d forgotten how much it hurt.
Kaden stepped in front of me and growled, low in his throat. “Ayla is the Ophiuchus alpha female, and you will treat her with respect, beta.”
I cleared my throat, shoving my shame and anger down so I could keep my voice level. "Yes, Jordan is my mate, which is how I know all of this is true. The Leos are working with the Sun Witches, and together they want to unite the Zodiac Wolves—under their rule."
"The Sun Witches have always been neutral allies," Pierce said, sitting back and crossing his arms. "Why would they help the Leos do this?"
"The Sun Witches have been lying to you for years," Kaden snapped. "They lock up your wolves until adulthood, spew you lies about a bullshit Moon Curse, and create fake mate bonds when it suits them."
"Why would they do all that?" Ethan asked.
"To control you," Kaden said. "It's just one part in their plan to take over all of the Zodiac Wolves."
"For what purpose though?" Ethan tilted his head, his face thoughtful. "I'm willing to believe that the Leos want to rule us and that the Sun Witches are helping them, but how do we know anything else you say is true? Like about the mate bonds?"
Wesley spoke up at that. "I found evidence that my father paid the Sun Witches to create a mate bond between Ayla and Jordan. If they created that bond, they could have faked other ones too over the years."
The other alphas and betas looked surprised at that, but I was even more surprised to see Eileen stand up and speak. "Though I am the Sagittarius beta now, I grew up as an Ophiuchus. I can confirm that we gain our wolves as children, and we do not suffer from any full moon curse, nor do we need a spell to find our mates."
The other alphas and betas argued back and forth about the Sun Witches for some time, and I tuned them out and looked up at the eclipse through my glasses. The totality had ended, and the sun was growing larger behind the shadow of the moon. Our time was running out.
Eventually, Kaden held up a hand to silence everyone. “The Ophiuchus pack is prepared to fight, and we have allied with the Cancer pack. We will both do whatever it takes to retain our freedom from the Leos and the Sun Witches. Will anyone join us?”
The silence was crushing. My nerves became a jumbled mess as the alphas and betas considered their next move. Then Amos, the Pisces alpha, stood up, and my heartbeat picked up faster. He could make or break this. "The Pisces pack will join you."
Thank the moon goddess, I thought.
"I was full of doubts, like many of you are," Amos said to the others. "I regretted not doing more to help the Cancer pack at the Convergence, but I thought I could keep my pack neutral and safe. Then Jordan sent a group of Leos to my village and demanded we submit to them. They took my nephew hostage, and kidnapped his mate, holding their lives over my head." His eyes landed on Aiden and Mira when he said those words, his face solemn. "Thanks to the Ophiuchus pack, Mira was returned to us, Aiden was freed, and the Leos harassing my pack were taken down. That was when I realized there is no hiding from this conflict. Our only option is to stand together and fight, or we might as well give up and submit to the Leos' rule."